The effectiveness of supraomohyoid neck dissection on patients with carcinoma of the oral cavity and clinically negative cervical lymph nodes: Meta- analysis

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of supraomohyoid neck dissection on patients with carcinoma of oral cavity and clinically negative cervical lymph nodes. METHODS: The relative literatures published from 1985 to 2004 were searched and assessed, in which the effectiveness of supraomohyoid neck dissection and radical neck dissection on patients with carcinoma of the oral cavity and clinically negative cervical lymph nodes was compared. Supraomohyoid neck dissection was performed in the study group and radical neck dissection was performed in the control group. An analysis software of RevMan4.2.2 was used for statistical integration of the data. RESULTS: Meta- analysis demonstrated that the odds ratio for neck recurrence of the supraomohyoid neck dissection group compared to radical neck dissection group was 1.34, with a 95% confidence interval 0.74, 2.43. The result was statistically insignificant. CONCLUSION: Supraomohyoid neck dissection is as efficacious as radical neck dissection for treatment of patients with carcinoma of the oral cavity and clinically negative cervical lymph nodes. However, because some biases might alter the results of Meta analysis, it should be further explored when new eligible study appears.